Mike McCoy's former boss, Broncos head coach John Fox, hasn't entirely recovered from the team's loss in the playoffs six months ago.

What does that have to do with McCoy?

Back then, McCoy was Fox's offensive coordinator and playcaller. When Fox revisited the defeat last week with Denver Post columnist Woody Paige, he singled out the failure to convert on 3rd-and-7 while ahead late in the game.

"That's the one that gnaws at me. We get the first down there, and Baltimore can't stop the clock again, and the game's over," Fox said.

Make no mistake: Fox didn't blame McCoy, who worked for him at both Carolina and Denver.

But Fox also said: "I would change what we did on 3rd-and-7" the series before the Ravens' Joe Flacco stunned Denver with a 70-yard touchdown pass that tied the game.

Paige writes that the Ravens knew the Broncos would run, "based on the time and the offensive package (a running back and a fullback, two blocking tights end, a third tackle and only one receiver)."

Peyton Manning, he adds, "couldn't change the play with that bunch in the game" and "was forced to go with the running play with an outside runner spearing again inside toward right guard."

Overloading the run, the Ravens stopped Ronnie Hillman for no gain near midfield, forcing the punt.

"What would you have called?" Paige asked Fox.

"I don't know, but something that would pick up a first down," Fox said.

I asked McCoy his thoughts.

"We had a plan going in," he said. "Yeah, of course you’d like to pick up the first down there. But, hey, we were in this together. And we supported it. It was our decision to do what we did. And, hey, we didn’t get the first down."

In his brief Chargers tenure, McCoy several times has said decisions are "made as an organization." Continuing his response, he trotted out that phrase.

"I’m not looking back at all. We called it. Hey, we called it as an organization and we’re moving forward from there," he said. "You can’t worry about that now. It’s over with. We called it. We thought that was the right thing to do and that’s what we did."

If the head coach isn't the playcaller, it's still typical for him to have input. Many head coaches set a general theme -- say, run the clock, or go for it -- and tell the playcaller to fit the details.

If McCoy is second-guessing himself for the call, he gave no evidence of it. A first down would've matched the Mules against the Patriots, at Denver in the AFC Championship game. Safe to say, he'd welcome a chance to be in the same position in another Super Bowl tournament. Should that happen, Ken Whisenhunt would likely be the playcaller with McCoy in Fox's role.